The present invention relates to a method for removing capsaicinoids from peppers using oil. More specifically, the present invention uses an edible oil for the removal of the capsaicinoids from the fruit of the pepper and therefore the pepper's hotness, while retaining the pepper's natural color, texture, and flavor.
Capsaicinoids are chemical compounds that produce a heat sensation when the pepper is eaten, and are located in the pepper's placental membrane. As a general rule, the greater the amount of capsaicinoids the higher the heat level in the pepper.
Peppers containing capsaicinoids are commonly used in salsas, dips, refried beans, and a variety of other Mexican style food products as well as other types of food products. To provide consistent hotness in these food products, the hotness of the peppers must be controlled. But, the amount of capsaicinoids in the peppers varies considerably from plant to plant and from one pepper field to another. Growing conditions, varietal types, soil types, weather, and other factors influence the biochemical conditions in the cells of the peppers that cause the amount of the capsaicinoids in individual peppers to vary. As a result of the varied capsaicinoid levels, the peppers must be tested before placement into food products otherwise the food products will have inconsistent levels of hotness. Unfortunately, testing the capsaicinoid levels before entry into the food production process is time consuming, expensive, and is not entirely accurate. Additionally, each individual pepper cannot be tested, leaving the danger that a consumer could bite into a pepper that is too hot. While food makers have programs and systems for monitoring the peppers to ensure uniform capsaicinoid levels, it is impossible to ensure that each pepper will contain the same amount of the capsaicinoids. Consequently, despite efforts to monitor the consistency of the peppers before they enter the production process, problems with inconsistent food products still result because of a lack of uniform capsaicinoid levels in the peppers. Thus, the known methods of ensuring uniform capsaicinoids levels are inadequate. By way of example, a mild salsa may contain peppers that were not correctly identified causing the mild salsa to be hotter than expected.
Previous methods for controlling hotness in the peppers, as mentioned, have included identifying and separating the peppers according to their capsaicinoid levels. Other previous methods have used compounds such as alcohol derivatives to solubilize and reduce the capsaicinoids. Also, still other previous methods have included genetically manipulating the pepper plants to control the capsaicinoid levels naturally. These methods, however, are ineffective as alcohol derivatives can be harmful to humans and they strip the peppers of water, resulting in the peppers losing their taste. Further, genetically manipulating the plants is not always effective as uniform results are difficult to obtain. Thus, the prior methods suffer from a number of problems including expense, accuracy, and harmfulness to humans.